The following abbreviations are herewith defined, at least some of which are referred to within the following description of the prior art and the present invention.                API Application Programming Interface        CRBT Color (or Customized or Caller) Ring Back Tone        HLR Home Location Register        HSS Home Subscriber Server        HTTP HyperText Transport Protocol        HTTPS HTTP Secure        IMAP Internet Message Access Protocol        IMS IP Multimedia Subsystem        IN Intelligent Networking        IVR Interactive Voice Response        PRBT Personal(-ized) Ring Back Tone        RF Radio Frequency        SMS Short Message Service        VMS Voice (or Video) Mail System        
Today's telecommunication networks—both wireline and wireless—offer a variety of different services known as termination-side services to a user (called party). For example, a user might subscribe for a termination-side service known as “color ring back tone” in which the telecommunication network plays a custom ring back tone (often a song clip) to a calling party while the user's phone rings. The user (called party) may have a call forward busy/no answer service in which the telecommunication network routes unanswered or undeliverable calls to a voice mail system. The telecommunication network may also provide an incoming call screening service which bars certain calls from reaching the user (called party) such as anonymous calls or calls from a “black list” of specific telephone numbers.
While the implementations of these termination-side services may differ across technologies and service providers, generally these termination-side services are offered from within the telecommunication network and require coordination across multiple network elements. For example, a termination-side service running in a wireless network—or an IN trigger associated with the service—might be configured on the HLR or HSS and then downloaded to a call server. The call server is configured to handle the call routing and interact with other network elements such as Voice Mail Systems, CRBT/PRBT servers, SCPs, intelligent peripherals, and the like to provide the particular termination-side service.
The existing solutions for termination-side services can be complex to deploy, especially in a multi-vendor environment. Nonetheless, various solutions for termination-side services already exist and their operation is well understood in the telecommunications field. However, the termination-side services which have solutions located within the telecommunication network are largely out of the reach of the end users. For instance, the termination-side services can be difficult to configure or control, by requiring the end user (subscriber) to dial in to an automated voice response system to configure the service, adjust settings, listen to recorded messages, etc. Some termination-side services offer web-based interfaces, but these can be just as cumbersome and they may not be easily accessible from a mobile device.
Another problem with the existing solutions is that the termination-side services are disjointed. For instance, each termination-side service has its own user interface and its own configuration options. So, the end user (subscriber) must learn to use each service separately and cannot coordinate their activities. For example, suppose the end user (subscriber) wants to configure a custom ring back tone and custom voice mail greeting for a given caller. Assuming the telecommunication network allows this level of customization, the end user (subscriber) must separately configure each of these termination-side services. Or suppose, the end user (subscriber) receives a harassing voice mail message and wants to block future calls from the calling party. Listening to the harassing voice mail message and setting up call barring are done in different locations in the telecommunication network.
As a result of being network-based and service operator-controlled, the termination-side services lack flexibility in terms of options and customization by the end user (subscriber). Furthermore, it is impractical for a service provider to offer multiple voice mail solutions from different vendors, for example, because of the cost involved in purchasing, deploying, and maintaining multiple systems that provide the voice mail solutions. Likewise, it is cost-prohibitive for a service operator to install new software upgrades or deploy new features to enhance the termination-side services they already offer to their end users (subscribers). These situations ultimately limit the options available to the end users (subscribers). Accordingly, there has been and is a need to address these problems and other problems to enhance how termination-side services can be provided to an end user (subscriber). These needs and other needs are satisfied by the present invention.